Cinder notch stopper



May 15, 1945. A. F. GIESE, JR'f 2,376,04 8

V .CINDERNOTCH STOPPER I Filed Nov. 24, 1942 3 Shee ts-Sheet 3 z R W mm4 m a U m %N N %N %N 4 w ka C. G &N %N u -M N o %N NN O O b mm & wfl mmvkH m NW .immw W m w vw Patented May 15, 194 5 UNITED STATES' PATENT I..OFFICE LL V 'i emmm g srorrm I i V v z; i

August F. Glese, Jr., *Gru-y, Ind. Application-November 24, 1942, SerialNo. 466,'771 5 Claims. `('Cl. zaa-42 This lnvention relates to a cindernotch stopper for blast furnaces, and particularly toan improvedapparatus for mounting and Operating the same.

Heretofore, various types of devices and appa- I ratus have beensuggested and used for pluggin or closing the cinder notch or cindertapping hole of blast furnaces. called cinder notch stoppers or botterrods. While such devices heretofore proposed were eifective generallyfor the purposes contemplated, they were objectionable due to mechanicaldifflculties in the con'struction and'operation thereof. Oftentimes thestopper on the end of the stopping or botting rod becomes stuck in thecinder notch during the use thereof and in existing devices suflicientforce could not be applied by the Operating mechanism to forceeffectively the stopper bar from its position in the monkey "of thecinder notch. At times itwas necessary to subject the stopper or bottingrod to blows by a hammer or sledge in order to release it and to startthe movement of the stopper bar from its position in the monkey of thecinder notch. such,

procedure was not only tedious and laborious but was extremely dangeroustothe operator.

Furthermore, such cinder notch stopping mechanism as herebeforesuggested was complicated and consisted of an excessive number ofmovable parts which, ofcourse, made such devices expensive as well adifllcult to use. such devices were also cumbersome and occupied arelatively large amount of space in the vicinity of the cinder notch ofthe blast furnace Also, such devices as proposed' were usuallyrelatively flimsy in their Construction and required frequent repairingand replacement of parts.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention toprovide an improved apparatus for supporting and Operating cinder notchstoppers which is simple and inexpensive in-its construction and use atthe same time, apparatus which is emcient, effective and safe in itsuse.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved `apparatusfor supporting and operating cinder notch stopper-s which is compact andconsists of a minimum number of parts, and at the same time apparatuswhich is strong and rugged in its construction, thereby reducngmaintenance and replacement costs 'to a mini- Such devices' aregenerally t'ion can be obtained axially upon the stopper bar so as toremove effectively the same from its position in the cinder notch. i

It is still another object of. the present invention to provide improvedapparatus for supporting and Operating cinder notch stoppers which ispositive in its movement and which can be easily and quickly moved toits Operating position opposite the cinder notch and to a retractedposition above and away from the cinder notch, thereby permitting theoperator to close quickly the cinder notch of the furnace.

Various other objects and advantages of this p invention will becomemoreapparent during the course of the following speciflcation and willbeparticularly pointed out in the-app nded claims. In the accompanyingdrawings there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodimentwhich my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the improvedcinder notch stopper of my invention It is a further object of thisinvention to pr'ovide an improved apparatus for supportin and Operatingcinder notch stoppers with which there is incorporated means whereby ahammering ac` showing the' position in which it is mounted in relationto the blast furnace;

Figure 2 is a front elevatio'nal view thereof; .Figura 3 is a plan viewof the same; Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional View through 'thelower part of my improved cinder notch stopper; and I Figure 5 is asectional view of Figure 4. i v

Rei'erring more particularly to the drawings, in Figures 1 and 4 a blastfumace wall 2 is shown. having a cinder notch 3 therein in which thereis disposed a large frustro-conical-shaped cooler 4 and a smaller cooler5 inserted in the end of the large cooler 4 with still a smaller cooleror cinder notch monkey 5 having an. opening 'I therethrough which isad'apted to be closed by a sto .per or plug in a well-known manner.

According to the present invention as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, thereis arranged above the cinder notch 3 on the outer side of the blastfurnace Wall between the same and the fumace bustle 'pipe B, avertically extending bracket member 8 'having a pair of 'oppositelydisposed vertically extending guideway grooves 9 carried thereby. Theupper end 'oi' the bracket I is attaken on line V-V 'tached preferablyto a structural member o by movement in a vertical plane.

bythe 'head to each side thereof a flange portion attached preferably tothe tuyre jacket of the furnace by means of bracket members and boltsIB.

There is carried by the bracket 9, preterably an L-shaped head l'l whichis mounted for slidable There is carried 9a which tits inte andcooperates with the grooves 9 in the bracket 8 so as to guide the headin its vertical movement. There is also mounted on the bracket 8and-Secured thereto, perterably by means of bolts s, a verticallydisposed pneumatic cyliider i9 with the lower end of the piston rod 29thereof attached to the movable head |1 as at 2l. The pneumatic cylinderl9 is provided tor moving the head Il reciprocably in substantially avertical plane relative to the bracket 9.

On the lower end o! the head I'I, there is mounted preierably a bracketmember 22 which is Secured to the head preferably by means of bolts 23.There is carried by the bracket 22, a

member 24 which is mounted for slidable movement in substantially ahorizontal plane. There is carried by the bracket 22, to either sidethereof, flange portions or tracks which cooperate with a pair ofoppositely disposed guides 25 carried by the slidable member 24. Thereis also mounted on the bracket member 22', a horizontally disposedpneumatic cylinder 21 with the outer free end of the piston rod 23thereof extending through a hole 29 arranged through a yoke-llke portionwhich is arranged on the end of the slidable member 24. The pneumaticcylinder 21 is provided for moving the slidable. member 24 reciprocablyin substantially a; horizontal plane relative to the bracket 22. On theextreme outer end of the piston rod 29 ot the pneumatic cylinder 21beyond the hole 29 through the yoke-like portion 30 of the slidablemember 24, there is arranged a pair of lock nuts 3| which are adapted tocooperate when the piston rod 23 is in one position with the outer sideof the yoke-like portion 33 of the slidabie member 24 to move theslidable' member 24 inwardly. There is also mounted on the piston rod23, an abutting member in the form ora collar 32 which is positioned onthe piston rod at a point on the inner side of the hole 29 and theyoke-like portion 30 and at a spaced distance from the inner sidethereof !or a purpose hereinatter to be described. The abutting memberor collar 32 is adapted to cooperate when the piston rod 23 is in oneposition with the inner side oi' the yoke-like portion 30 to move theslidable member 24 outwardly.

On the' lower side of the slidable member 24, there is arrangedpreterably a pair of spaced apart, downwardly extending, arm-likeportions 33 with each having a journal-like portion 34 arranged on theextreme lower end thereof. There is disposed in the journal-likeportions 34 of the arm-like members 33, a horizontally disposed stopperbar or botting rod 35 with the outer tree end. thereo! extending beyondthe inner end of the slidable member 24. There is carried by the stopperbar intermediate the length thereot, a pair of spaced apartthrust'members 36 between which journal-like portions 34 are disposed.The journal-like portions 34 are arranged preterably in two halveshaving bolts 31 arranged therethrough, whereby the stopper rod may beremoved from position therein. On the extreme outer !ree end or thestopper rod 35 there is mounted a hollow stopper 33 which is adapted tocooperate with the opening 1 in the monkey 3 so as to close the cindernotch opening of the fumace in a manner well known to those skilled inthe art.

As shown more clearly in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings, the stopper orbotting rod 35 is preferably hollow and there is disposed therewithinpreferably a relatively small pipe 39 tor conveying a cooling fluid suchas water into and through the stopper rod. There is arranged on theinner end of the stopper rod 35, a suitable connection 40 through whichthe cooling fluid or water is introduced into the pipe 39 within thestopper rod 35. The water enters the pipe 39 through the connection 40from any suitable source of supply (not shown) and flows through thepipe 39 the full length of the stopper rod and into hollow stopper 38.The water then fiows back through the stopper rod between the outer wallof the small pipe 39 and the inner wall of the stopper rod 35 and isdisharged from the stopper rod through a suitable out1et'4l to anysuitable discharge means (not shown).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there 'is arrangedpreferably on the side of the head l1, a bracket 42 on which there ismounted an adjustable stop screw 43 which is adapted to cooperatepreferably with a projecting portion 44 arranged on the lower end of thevertically disposed bracket member 8 so as to limit the downwardmovement of the head l'l. There is also arranged preferably to one sideof the bracket member 8, a pawl-like member 45 which is pivotallyattached intermediate the length thereof to the side of the bracketmember as at 46. Through the side wall of the bracket member 8, to oneside thereof, opposite the guideway groove 9 therein, there is arrangedan opening" in which the inner end of the pawl-like member is disposedand is adapted to cooperate with a notch 48 arranged in the side of oneof the trackways or flanges aa' of the head pose o! the pawl 45 tocooperate with and to be disposed in the notch48 of the head IT when the4 head is positioned in its upper or retracted` position so as to lockthe head in such position,

whereby unlntentional movement of the same is prevented.

The improved cinder notch stopper of my invention functions in thefollowing manner. After the cinder has been withdrawn from the top ofthe molten metal in the blast furnace through the cindernotch 3, it isthen desired to plug the cinder notch'so as to prevent any furtherdischarge through the same. -The pawl 45 is first moved 'about itspivotal connection 46 by means of the downwardly extending handlearranged therewith so that the inner end of the pawl is moved out of thenotch 48 in the head I'I so as to permit movement of the head. The headI'l, together withthe sliding member 24 and stopper rod 35 'carriedthereby, is then moved and lowered by means of the pneumatic cylinder |9to a position as shown in the tull lines of Flgure 1, so that thestopper rod is opposite the opening 1 in the monkey 5 of the cindernotch. The downward movement of the head ll so as to position thestopper bar 35 properly relative to the cinder notch, is limited bymeans of the adjustable screw 43 which abuts against the projectingportion 44 ot the bracket 8. It will be understood that i! the stopperrod is not positioned properly or centered relative to the cinder notchwhen the head has reached this lowermost position, the nuts carried bythe adjusting screw 42 may be loosened and the adiusting screw moved sothat the stopper rod 35 is in the proper position and l'l. It is thepur- 2,s7c,o4s i 13 between the furnace bustle pipe B and thefurcenter-ed when the screw 43 abuts the stop or rojecting portion".

After the head l'l has been moved to its lower position the sidablemember 24, together with the stopper rod 35' and stopper 38 carriedthereby, is'moved horizontally on to the right'as shown nace in thelimited space therebetween. The head of the a'pparatus is so designedthat it will lie compactly' in the space between the bustle pipe andthevfurnace and yet is not attached to the bustlepipe or mounted soclose thereto as t in Figure 1 of the drawings by means of the pneumaticcyinder 21 until the stopper 38 is positioned properly in the opening 1of the monkey S. It will be seen that when the 'pneumatic cylinder 21 isactuatedto move the slidable member.24, the nuts al on the outer end` ofthepiston rod 28 thereof -abut against the outer side of the yoke-likeportion' 30 of the sidable member 24 to move the s'ame together with thestopper rod carried thereby.

When it is desired to remove-the stopper from its position in the cindernotch and monkey the neumatic cylinder is actuated in: the oppositedirection so that the stopp r rod will move to the be aflected by theheat passing therethrough. In other words, the expansion and contractionof the bustle pipe will not ali'ect the operation of my improvedcindernotch stopper which is a. decided advantage. n devices where the-stopp'er arleft as shown* in Figure 1 of the drawings and away from thecinder notch. In such a-mov'e'- ment it will be seen that the sidablemember 24 together with the stopper rod 35 will 'not move 'until thecollar 32 carried by the piston rod 28 moves to a point next to theinsideof the yokelike portion 30 of the sidable member and abutsthereagainst.. Oitentimes the stopper 38'sticls 'in the cinder notch andit is diflicult to move the tion is provided bythe collar ucarried bythe piston rod 28 when it strikes the inner side of the yoke-likeportion 30 of'th sidable member 24 rangement is attached to the bustlepipe, the expansion and contraction thereof throws the cinder notchstopper out of center alignment with thevmonkey ofthe blast furnace.Accordingly, it will be "seen that such a disadvantage is eliminated in'the cinder notch stopper of the present construction,

While I have shown and described one specific embodiment of myinvention, it will be`understood that this embodiment is merely for 'thepurpose of illustration' and description and that various other' forms,may be devised v within thescope of my invention, as deflned in th'eappended claims.

I claim:

1, Apparatus of the class described comprislng a head; means for movingsaid head i t tiallya vertical' planeve horizontally disppsed stopperbar, a stopper arranged on the outer end 'of said stopper'bar, meanscarried by said head 'forsupporting said'stopper bar, saidlast-mentioned means being arranged for sidable movement relative tosaid head in s'ubstantially a horizontal plane, and a pneumatic cylindercarried by 'said 'head for' moving said last-mentioned means togetherwith the stopper bar carried 4 thereby, the piston rod-of said pneumaticcylinand thereby transmits 'a hammering action to the stopper rod 35together with the stopper 38.

The piston rod, together with the collar 32,;may

be made to reciproc-ate'back and orth as often as is 'necessary totransmit suchhammering action to the stopper rod and stopper until thestopper has-become oosened and may-be removed from straight pullingaction. v I der is then made to withdraw the sidable member 24 'togetherwith the stopper rod carried its position in` the cinder notch'by meansof a The pneumatic cylin-j' 50 thereby to their retracted position so'that. the

stopper rod and stopper are out of the cinder notch. The head l'l isthen moved upwardly to position as shown in the broken lines of Figure1, v

by means of a pneumatic cylinder [9 to its upper or retracted positionaway from the cinder tor. It will also be seen that in the cinder-'notchstopper arrangement of my invention, the stopper will be disposedaccurately opposite the cinder notch and disposed positively'thereinwithout incurring any undue danger to the operator or other workers inthe vicinity of the furnace.

' It will be seen that the improved cinder notch stopper apparatus of myinvention is mounted der connected to said last-mentioned means so as topermit a limited movement thereof relative to w said head whereby ahammering action can be obtained u pon 'said last-mentioned meanstogether with said stopper bar.

2. Ap'paratus of the class-described compris ing a head, means formoving said head in substantially a vertical plane, a horizontallydisposed stopper bar, a stopper arranged onthe outer end 'of' saidstopper bar; a member carried by'said head for supporting said stopperbar, said member being arranged for sidable movement relative to saidhead in substantially'a horizontal plane, a pneumatic cylinder carriedby said head for movingsaid sidable member together with the stopper barcarried thereby, said slidable member-having an opening arranged in oneend thereof through which the piston rod of the, pneumatic cylinderextends, a nut arranged on the outer end of the piston rod beyond theopening in said sidable member, an abutting member mounted on saidpiston rod at a point on the inner side of said opening and at a spaceddistance therefromv and from said nut so as to provide a limited lostmotion between said piston r`od"and said sidable member whereby ahammering action'can be obtained upon said sidable member together withthe stopper rod carried thereby' upon the actuation of said pneumaticcylinder.

a apparatus of the class described as deflned in claimincluding anadjustable means for limitirg the downward movement of the head.

4. Apparatus of the class described as defined in claim 2 includingmeans for looking the head in 'its upper or retracted position.

. per bar can-led thereby, said sldable member having en openingarranged in one end thereof through which the pisten rod'of seidsecond-men- .tioned pneumatc cylnder extends. a. rmb arranged on theouter end oi' seid piston red beyoid the opening in said sldable member,a oolar seditanee therefrom and from said nut so as to provide a.limited lost motion between said piston rod and said lidablememberwhereby a hamv merng aetion can be obtained upon said sldablemember together with said stopper bar qameti thereby upon the actuatioof said pneumatic cylinder.

A'UqUBT E GIESE, Ja.

